Well, for 2012 games, I've only played Dishonored, Dragons Dogma, AC3, Far Cry 3, Tokyo Jungle, Hell Yeah!, and SoulCalibur 5, and a brief session of Diablo 3.

Of those on the vote, Dishonored gets it. Dragons Dogma would be an honorable mention (Its got flaws, but probably the single best ARPG combat I've seen in awhile).

Spec Ops: The Line. All the way. Journey and The Walking Dead were freaking amazing, but nothing comes close to Spec Ops. Heck, with Spec Ops getting some more exposure and EA and Activision close to falling, maybe we can finally get rid of spunkgargleweewee, at least in the AAA market.

i voted spec ops. any game that can make me go "i can't play this anymore today. i can't take it" without adding "why did i buy this game?" deserves an award.

Eric the Orange:

LiMaSaRe:
No vote option for Kingdom's of Amalur Reckoning? it seems the Escapist despises new IP's.

6 of the 20 games were new IP's.

Is 3/10 seriously supposed to sound like a lot? I take issue with a list that rates many tired and stale franchises that displayed no innovation in 2012 above KOAR, a game that surprised me at every turn and provided me hundreds of hours of stunning adventure.

Solo-Wing:
Voted Spec Ops.

Same here and I was pleasantly presented with a badge. (Thank you, Escapist!)

Instead of "War is hell", don't you just wish it said "Do you feel like a hero yet?" or "Gentleman, Welcome to Dubai" :D

Overrated Military FPS 9, Green Space Marine 6 and The Secret World mad the list of nominees, but Xenoblade, Virtue's Last Reward and Katawa Shoujo didn't?

Come on Escapist, yo used to be better than this!

I went for FTL, but only just over borderlands 2.

In part because despite all these kickstarter projects that have sprung up, it's the only real success, and I think that it's just remarkable that a crowd funded indie game developed by two guys (+one for the soundtrack) is up for consideration in the same field as codblops and halo.

I looked through the entire list and found exactly one game that I played: FTL. So my choice was clear. I was kind of surprised not to see Torchlight 2 in the line-up, though.

Caramel Frappe:
Also not to be off topic, but we get badges based off the game we've voted for?!
THANK YOU ESCAPIST STAFF!! That is some mighty fine service you're doing for us and you have my thanks!

A Spec Ops: The Line badge..? For me? I love you, Escapist!

As said, I have voted for The Line. It has become my favourite game of all times, an unlikely and unexpected achievement. I knew it's gonna impress, but I never expected to become so invested in a story which I knew from the beginning to be very depressing. Usually I stay away from such stuff or try to keep my emotional distance, but damn. There was nothing I could do. Walker and his team are such convincing characters and I cared way too much about them.

Also, it's one of the few games which I found visually stunning. The colours, the concept and fluidness of the surroundings took my breath away, it's the most brilliant game I have ever seen.

Journey

Dishonored

sethisjimmy:

Andrew Sayers:

sethisjimmy:
I'm not voting because I haven't played the majority of those games and what I have played I don't consider GOTY material but if Spec Ops aka Ironic Gears of War: The Re-skin wins I'm going to be severely disappointed.

I really can't decide if you're trolling or just incredibly misinformed...

I've beaten the game, not really sure how much more informed I could be. It's mediocre and IMO very much undeserving of the praise it gets.

My main problems with it can be summed up here: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.395379-Worst-game-s-of-2012?page=6#16082364

Essentially while it tries to satirize the generic shooter genre to provoke thought and reflection, it ultimately misses the mark for me because it is a generic shooter itself.

p

Opinions, opinions everywhere. People like it because they think it's good, so please refrain from "being severely disappointed" if it turns out that people think differently than you do.

We are finally reaching the point where games are tipping over into full on artistic statements on the human condition. Spec Ops:The Line, Journey, The Walking Dead and Lone Survivor have tipped the scales forever into videogames favor as the art form of the 21st. century.
For that reason, I voted Spec Ops:The Line, it was the most severe rebuttal to the modern military shooter that I could have ever imagined. And it's descent into the hells of the humand mind at its most primal was unforgettable.

None of those?
Ill just vote for SCV in my head.

Hotline Miami? Why is that there?

Wait, what is Hotline Miami?! (Don't reply. Seriously.)

I'm torn between Journey and Dishonored. But...I'll have to go with Journey.

Split between X-Com Guild Wars2, FTL & The Walking Dead

Guild Wars 2:
Best MMO released in a long time load with innovations & its Buy 2 Play

X-Com:
Proves that Turn-based, Strategy games are still awesome, even when X-Com beats me silly I found coming back for more.

The Walking Dead:
Is a reminder why The secret of Monkey Island was awesome and why Point-and-click adventure can just be as riveting as zombie-based shooters.

FTL: Indie awesomeness that is tense which captures feel of commanding a starship "RED ALERT"

I was torn between Spec Ops: The Line and The Walking Dead, but I ended up voting for the zombie game because I think it did so many unexpected things it deserves my vote.

I mean, think about it. Itīs an episodic point nī click adventure game from a small company, focusing 100% on the story and its characters instead of big explody setpiece moments, beautiful cel-shaded graphics instead of hyper-realistic ones, and made with a much smaller budget than any AAA game. And doing that, it managed to win several game of the year awards. I think it points in which direction the industry should head and that deserved my vote.

Though I wouldnīt mind if Spec Ops won the award instead :)

With that said, I agree that these kind of awards would be more meaningful if they were given out by experts of the industry instead of posted for the users to vote. I myself only played four of the games on this list, so I donīt really know if Journey would have blown my mind had it not been a PS3 exclusive.

And am I the only one whoīs baffled that Mass Effect 3 got nominated with that ending? I mean, after the huge controversy, I didnīt think anyone would consider it the BEST game of 2012 (not a bad game by any stretch, but I mean, cīmon).

NameIsRobertPaulson:

RedDeadFred:

NameIsRobertPaulson:

It is related to this thread. We've already picked the greatest game ever created, so why bother voting?

It's also a massive amount of sarcasm for how obscenely flawed the voting system actually is.

It's not related... We are picking GOTY which means best game released this year. Skyrim was not released this year. This is not hard to understand and I'm sure you get it. Also, when did we vote Skyrim to be the best game ever(it is actually one of my favourites but I don't recall it winning anything like this)? I remember us voting on the best game in the Escapist's history but this happened some time this summer and Portal won. Also, why was the voting system flawed? People voted on their choice of which games should move on in each bracket. It's not like Skyrim had an easy ride to get to the finals, it defeated a lot of amazing games.

Anyway, I'm actually genuinely curious now to hear what your GOTY is. If you don't tell me I'm going to have to guess just based off of our brief conversation. I guess I could look at your post history but that would take a long time and possibly be creepy...

Last year, Escapist voted the greatest game created in the history of the Escapist. Portal did not win, Skyrim did, as a result of the voting occurring 2 weeks after Skyrim was released. And while Skyrim is a good game, it is by no means the greatest game ever created, not with the legion of errors and bugs that made the game unplayable for many people.

As far as my vote goes, I gave it to Borderlands 2, though I haven't played Spec Ops or Journey.

Well, at least we agree on Borderlands 2.

I don't really have a favourite game ever. Just a bunch of games that I highly enjoy and I couldn't pick one to go above the others. Skyrim is on that list but to each their own. I have it on PC so that helps a lot. I doubt I would rate it so highly if I couldn't use mods. Especially since said mods can get rid of a large amount of the bugs.

RedDeadFred:

NameIsRobertPaulson:

RedDeadFred:

It's not related... We are picking GOTY which means best game released this year. Skyrim was not released this year. This is not hard to understand and I'm sure you get it. Also, when did we vote Skyrim to be the best game ever(it is actually one of my favourites but I don't recall it winning anything like this)? I remember us voting on the best game in the Escapist's history but this happened some time this summer and Portal won. Also, why was the voting system flawed? People voted on their choice of which games should move on in each bracket. It's not like Skyrim had an easy ride to get to the finals, it defeated a lot of amazing games.

Anyway, I'm actually genuinely curious now to hear what your GOTY is. If you don't tell me I'm going to have to guess just based off of our brief conversation. I guess I could look at your post history but that would take a long time and possibly be creepy...

Last year, Escapist voted the greatest game created in the history of the Escapist. Portal did not win, Skyrim did, as a result of the voting occurring 2 weeks after Skyrim was released. And while Skyrim is a good game, it is by no means the greatest game ever created, not with the legion of errors and bugs that made the game unplayable for many people.

As far as my vote goes, I gave it to Borderlands 2, though I haven't played Spec Ops or Journey.

Well, at least we agree on Borderlands 2.

I don't really have a favourite game ever. Just a bunch of games that I highly enjoy and I couldn't pick one to go above the others. Skyrim is on that list but to each their own. I have it on PC so that helps a lot. I doubt I would rate it so highly if I couldn't use mods. Especially since said mods can get rid of a large amount of the bugs.

I've always thought that greatest of all time should be more objective than subjective. While no game is perfect in every category that makes a great game (Story, Conveyance, Gameplay, Lastability, Significance), the ones that come closest should win. Half-Life 2, Super Metroid, Halo, Final Fantasy VI and VII, Devil May Cry, Super Mario World. I'm not a fan of every game on that list, but objectively those are some of the greatest games created by man. Skyrim, while not a bad game, and a definite Game of the Year last year, falls short in those categories.

I'm going to choose FTL. Because let's face it, it's not hurting anyone, and also because of how surprisingly deep the combat is and how varied the encounters are. In my mind it's better than the others for its resources.

Why the hell is Persona 4 on the list? It's awesome game and all, but Golden is just an HD port of the 2008 game. You might as well include Peace Walker HD...

And where is Max Payne 3? Not the best Max Payne for sure, but a FAR better game than Blops2, Halo 4, Diablo3, or AssCreed3...

NameIsRobertPaulson:
Skyrim, while not a bad game, and a definite Game of the Year last year, falls short in those categories.

I wouldn't even call Skyrim GOTY 2011.
That honour would have gone to Dark Souls IMO.

Edit: And SMB 3 is better than SMB World. Both are great though.

Dishonored or Far Cry 3? I can't decide.. arggggh. I guess I'll go with Dishonored becouse it's a new IP!

EDIT: Well I voted for Far Cry 3 becouse it got out so late I'm sorry for it becouse it won't be on much top 10 (or wahtever) lists.

Skeleon:
I looked through the entire list and found exactly one game that I played: FTL. So my choice was clear. I was kind of surprised not to see Torchlight 2 in the line-up, though.

It's a pretty small list, really. I'm surprised Mark of the Ninja (my GOTY) made it on this list. But there's no way they'd be able to get every game. It's been an incredible year in which a wide variety of great games (most of them not AAA) were released.

1st thing I thought; Why the hell isnt dark souls on this list
Then I remembered it was a 2011 game :P

I voted for Guild Wars 2. Considering I'm still playing it and having a blast, it gets the nod from me

I enjoyed The Walking Dead and Spec Ops as experiences, not games. I feel that if you can watch a Youtube video of someone playing them and get the same enjoyment, it's not a great game

Doesn't gameplay factor into games anymore when considering the "best"?

So I narrowed it down to Assassin's Creed 3, Mass Effect 3, Dishonored, The Walking Dead and Halo 4. I never beat Dishonored (haven't finished it yet) and haven't beaten The Walking Dead (only own the first episode) so that narrowed it down to Halo 4, Mass Effect 3 and Assassin's Creed 3.
I took the positives from each and compared them to one another: Graphically I felt Halo 4 was the strongest because it took the Xbox 360's graphics and pushed it to levels we haven't seen before, however I felt like Assassin's Creed 3's world was more beautiful just out of sheer scope. The gameplay for Assassin's Creed 3 was the strongest in my mind, however the protagonist was uninteresting and there were quite a few bugs with the release of the game that have yet to be fixed. Meanwhile Halo 4 had two strong protagonists however their secondary characters were weak and uninteresting. The strongest antagonist I felt was Assassin's Creed 3 in Haythem Kenway (God I loved his character) and even in Charles Lee, whereas in Halo 4 the antagonist seemed uninteresting and distant for most of the game. The ending for Assassin's Creed 3 was good for Connor (who redeemed himself to an extent at the end with his character development) but very confusing with the modern day Desmond story arc (unless if you take an in depth analysis of all the Assassin's Creed games), whereas the ending for Halo 4 seemed to be pretty solid, however was extremely depressing (for me) and left little room for a sequel (unless if I missed something).
What about Mass Effect 3? Well Mass Effect 3 won my vote in the end for a number of reasons: The protagonist and the supporting characters are all rich and complex, some of the more memorable moments in the series' history can be found here, the antagonist (or antagonists) are all pretty solid, with the dlc update the ending is a ton better, the gameplay is fun and well constructed, graphically the game is beautiful, and the scale of the game is massive in scope. I hardly see any faults in Mass Effect 3 (they are there but are few) and when compared to Assassin's Creed 3 and Halo 4, I believe Mass Effect 3 to be a superior game.
Unfortunately I was unable to complete Dishonored or The Walking Dead before this time so voting for either of them would of been unfair on my part, and I also haven't tried out the other games that have come out this year so perhaps there are others who are more worthy than Mass Effect 3, but my vote goes to the game that, through my experience, deserves to win.

Where the hell is Torchlight 2?

I'm annoyed I have yet to be able to get around to playing Spec Ops: The Line. But I guess that's a good thing, because I'm madly torn between The Walking Dead, and Journey. Journey was a fantastic game, looked beautiful, had one of the best soundtracks ever, and the anonymous multiplayer concept was amazing. The Walking Dead had me in tears a number of times, and really made me question my actions...which is disgustingly hard to do in games these days. Or ever, really. The voice acting was top-notch, and had some of the most tense moments in video game history. Not to mention...dat Ep 5. All dem feels.

Fuck it, coin toss.

*Toss*

The Walking Dead.

Narrowed it down to Xcom & GW2, but in the end backed GW2. I just wished I played Journey the game sounds decent! looks like I'm going to get my PS3 back of the my brother to give it a good caning =D

The fact Diablo 3 is even nominated makes me ashamed to be a gamer.
[/pretentious hipster]

I voted for Borderlands 2, but dammit if FTL wasn't neck and neck.
Of all the games I've played this year, those two have retained the best longevity.